November 11, 1919: The Centralia Massacre

November 11, 1919: An incident breaks out between U.S. Army veterans and labor union members in Centralia, Washington, about halfway between Seattle and Portland. It becomes known as the Centralia Tragedy, or the Centralia Massacre.

Note: There was an earlier event known as the Centralia Massacre, in Centralia, Missouri, about halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City, on September 27, 1864, a terrorist attack led by Confederate soldiers including Jesse James.

The American Legion was a brand-new organization, having been founded by U.S. Army officers still in Paris on March 15, 1919. They patterned themselves after the advocacy group for veterans of the American Civil War, the Grand Army of the Republic.

On November 11, the 1st Anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I, they held a parade in Centralia. But the Pacific Northwest had also been a successful venue for the Industrial Workers of the World, a leftist labor union nicknamed the "Wobblies."

As the Legion tended to be conservative (in spite of their former commander-in-chief, President Woodrow Wilson, being a Democrat, and liberal on most issues except race), this sometimes brought the two groups into conflict. This included Warren Grimm, commander of the Legion's Centralia post and a former All-American football player at the University of Washington; and Elmer Smith, a lawyer for the IWW, and a pacifist who was known for antiwar activities.

The Legionnaires marched through Centralia, with loaded rifles, and fears of a repeat of the 1916 massacre in Everett, Washington, gripped the Wobblies. Grimm was at the head of the march, and he was shot in the head by Eugene Barnett. Whether the Legionnaires had charged the gathered Wobblies first has been disputed. Shooting and fighting broke out. When it ended, 4 Legionnaires, a Wobbly and a Deputy Sheriff were dead.

Smith was arrested, but, once it was determined that he did not participate, he was released. He lived until 1932. Wesley Everest was misidentified as Grimm's killer, arrested, and lynched before the night was up. Barnett was imprisoned, but released in 1931 before evidence was later found that he was the man who fired the shot that killed Grimm. He lived until 1973.

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November 11, 1919 was a Wednesday. Baseball was out of season. Football was in midweek. Professional basketball barely existed. And the NHL season didn't start for over a month. So there were no scores on this historic day.